Collapsible box



E. M. AVERILL.

COLLAPSIBLE BOX.

APPLICATION man MAR.16, 1920.

1,422,912, Patented July 18,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Si noauto/5 E. M, AVERILL. COLLAPSIBLE BOX. APPLICATION FvlLED MAR. 15,1920.

l ,422,9 1 2, Patented July 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. /L Fig# 71 ELIAS M. AVERILL, OF SPARTA, MICHIGAN.

COLLAPSIBLE BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Juif; i8, 1922.

Application filed March 16, `1920. .Serial No. 366,411.

To @ZZ wlw/m. t muy concern.'

Be it known that l, Ennis M. AVERTLL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sparta, in the county of Kent and State of il/lichigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Boxes,oitwhich the following is a specification.

la'ly invention relates to improvements in so called collapsible boxes,and its objects are: tirst,to provide a. collapsible box that may bereadily assembled for receiving articles, as vegetables, lc. forshipping; second, to provide collapsible box that may -be manufacturedand sold as cheaply as an ordinary shipping; box, and may be readilytaken to pieces for reshipment; third, to provide a collapsible box inwhich the interlockingv elements consist of the peculiar constructionoi"v the ends of the retaining cleats,

and in which the construction of all the ends of all the cleats areidentically alike, and no additional mechanism is required in itsconstruction.

'I attain lthese objects by the construction shown. in 'theaccompanying* drawing, in which Fin'. l is a plan of one of the cleatsshowingy the manner of placing the sides of the box. Fig'. 2 is a planof a part ot a box showing' the cornerA construction, and the relativeform oit the cleats. Fin'. 3 is a perspective of the box assembled. Fig.L shows how two adjacent sides of the box are connected to form a rightangled corner. Fig. 5 is an end view of the modiliedxtorm ot cleat..Fig. G is a perspective off the modified form of box, complete. Fig. 7is an end view oi' one side ot the modiii'ed 'form ot box. Fig. 8 is asectional view of one side of the box practically upon the line of Fig'.6, and Fig. 9 is a like view with a part oit another side of the boxjoined thereto at right angles therewith.

`Similar reference characters indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

Yinthe construction ot this box. l torni the cleats 1 twice as wide asthey are thick, and cut a corner, 8. out so the ends will extend beyondthe shoulder. Thus the ends 7 .may be lapped by each other andinterlocked together indicated in Figures 2 and 8 so that eachprojecting' end will lock the others iirmly in place and form a veryrigid corner construction at all corners of the box.

The side panels 2 of this box are securely attached to the inner edgesof the cleats, as

'iox are secured. to the edges ot the cleats. i

This is done in such a manner that in the assembled box two oppositecleats upon each side ot the box are positioned thitwise, and the othertwo on this side yare positioned edgewise so thatthe Vtirsttwo cleatswill. rest with the sides of the extended. ends 7 resti ng f upon theedges of the extended ends 7 ot the adjacent cleats with the back,orinncr.

edges ot the ends 7 bearing;- upon the shoulder of the adjacent cleatthat stands at rightL angles therewith, on the samcwend oit' the box,and the extended end of the, relatively, vertical cleats will be engagedbetween the inner edges of the edgewise cleats and the shoulders of thetlatwise cleats. this, in combination withv the securely connected sidepieces or panels 2, tendsto draw the several extended ends in theconstruction of each corner ot the box. so firmly together. and so.firmly interlocked that the box construction becomes extremely rigidand unyielding, and, even without the cover partvclamped i n place thebox will stand safely for l'illingy without the need ot any outsideretaining elements to prevent its collapse rwhile Filling. In thisrespect l. find this box much more desirable than the modified torni ofconstruc` tion shown on Slieet2 ot my drawing, and much k'more simpleof' construction, more easily l cleats require but one halt thematerial, and the construction ismuch more simple,

The peculiar form of the interlocking,Y ele ments inthis modified formof construct-ion as shown herewith, requires the use of square cleats.in cross section, being formed with the material cut away at 8 to formshoulders It, i and fi. and the parts 9 and 10 beveled from fand g tothecenter of the end of the cleat at e, forming miter bearings with theadjacent cleats, in three several positions. n y the cleat, and theseends are so constructed that when the box 'is assembled reachr will bearuponthe corresponding' end of one adjacent cleat, and upon the shoulderlz. of each other adjacent cleat, thus providing' an interlockingarrangement of the ends of the assembled, and less expensive,v as they 7represents the extended end ot y three contacting ends of cleats at eachcorner ot the box. rlfhus, the inclines f, ,(1, c ttorm perit'ect miterbearings at each corner of' the box, with the three contacting` ends otthe cleats, and the shoulders h, and 'i' 'form retaining bearings eachwith the other on the several contacting ends.

lilnteri n now. more ixyarticularly, into a description ot theconstruction and operation of the several parts of this box, lrepresents the supporting cleats, to the inner surfaces ot which theenclosing panels 2 are securely attached, as with nails, cement, orother avail able securing devices. l is one of the cleats likewisesecured upon the cover. This cleat is divided at 8 so it may be raisedinto the position indicated at. c and its ends passed by, as at a and inFigure 4f to disconnect the locked ends ot the two adjacent cleats toremove the cover. 2 represents the panels or sides ot the box, to whichthe cleats l and l' `are securely attached, and Q" is the cover panel,which is divided at e, 'for the `purpose lwrcbctorc stated in connectionwith the cleat l. 5 is a spring locking device connected with one end otthe cleat l', as j, and temporarily connected with the other end of saidcleat by means of a pin 6 so it may be sprung backwardly off ot saidpin. as in Fig. 4, to free the cleat l and raise it into the positionindicated at c, as hereinbetore described. The ends of the cleats arecut away at 8 forming square bearings. and at 10 forming two beveledbearings that connect, as at 9, to form miter joints between the ends otcontacting cleats, the ends 7 of the cleats being made across the entirewidth. oi the cleats so it occupies the same amount ot space upon theends ot the cleats as the parts 8 and 10, and the overlapping of thiselement and its peculiar contact with the corresponding elements onother cleats, and with the shoulders 71,. 'i and d toi-ms a set oflocking ends that are inseparable until the cover cleat has been removedas shown in the dotted lines in Figure 6. and the cover slidoutofcontact at the other cleat corners, when the box will fall apart withoutdiiiiculty.

`When it is desired to dis-assemble an assembled box, the spring latch 5is sprung ofi` of the pin `6 and raised into practically the positionindicated by the dotted lines @,when the divided cleat l may be slidendwise and disconnected Jfrom the cleats at each end thereof, and thecover may then be slid backwardly, as indica-ted by the dotted lines 7cand be, thus, wholly disconnected Jfrom the box. In assembling the box,after the sides and bottom have been properly assembled, the cover maybe applied and the box firmly locked together by reversing the abovestated movements ot the cover and its divided cleat. In assembling thebox care must'be talrento arrange all of the cleats upon the outside ofthe box, and in such a manner as to show square panels enclosed, on allsides with the cleats, as shown in Figure 6; thus, the botn tom mustrest upon its cleats. the first two sides, opposite each other, must beplaced with the cleats vertical ot the box, and the next two panels mustbe placed with the cleats horizontal ot the box, and the top must beplaced with the cleats paralleling the cleats on the bottom.

The modi'lication herein shown and described is used simply toillustrate that the same effect may be obtained in the cornerconstruction of boxes by various means. hence .l do not desire torestrict myself closely to the construction or constructions hereinshown, but have made some oit my claims broad enough to cover othermodilications. l desire it to be understood, also, that much of thedescription devoted to the modified .torm shown applies as tully to thepreferred form, or to any other modification whereby the interlockingcorner results may be attained.

llVliat I claim as new in the art, is:

l. ln collapsible box construction, side and end panels, cleats securedto the outer sides of the panels at opposite ends thereof, said cleatsmade thin and broad. each end of each cleat cut away uniformly one haltthe width laterally and the 'full width longitudinally and so `formedthat the ends ot the cleats may be interloclred at the corners of thebox and assemble a rigidly constructed collapsible box.

2. In collapsible box construction, side panels and end panels, cleatsmade twice as wide as thicltand secured to one side of each panel at twoopposite ends thereof, each end of each cleat uniformly cut away theexact thickness and width of the cleats and arranged to interlock witheach other at the corners ot the box and. with the panels, form arigidly constructed readily collapsible box having` the cleats arrangedto lorm a rigid outwardly projecting framework around all sides of thebox.

3. In collapsible box construction` uniformly constructed panels. eachpanel having a supporting cleat secured to one side at each end thereof,the ends oit the cleat-s uni Jormly constructed to interlock at thecorners of the box and to assemble into rigid box construction, a coverhaving one cleat severed near the longitudinal center so it may bedivided and readily inserted into, and removed from the boxconstruction, and a spring latch and catch connected with the severedcleat to readily lock it in place or remove it when assembling ordis-assembling a box.

Signed at `Sparta, Michigan, March 6th 1920.

ELIAS M. AVERILL.

